The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-02-05

the most part though they came there
to hold nightly corroboree now and
then. All was perfectly still, except
for the rushing Of the creek below. and
the low, solemn stirring of tho wind In
the trcc-tops. He heaped pile of dry
sticks on the mound, going to work
slowly and mcthodically in his every
day fashion; set fire to 1t with his flint
and-stecl, and stood watching 1t patient
ly till it leapt into blaze; then he turned
away, and clearing away the grass and
leaves, drew with the point of his knife
circle round the grave.
He stripped off his shirt and laid It
aside; then he knclt down in the circle
before the fire. with his knife and panni-
kin beside him, and clasped his hands
before his face and prayed.
He had never done such thing in
his life bcfore-at any rate not since he
was n child at his mothers knees. Per-
haps the words he said may shock you
if written down-so grotesquely BIAS
phemous, so pathetically horrible were
they. Yet may be there are people whose
inarticulate creed If put into plain En-
glish, would not amount to much better.
Lord Almighty" he said, II don't
know much about this yer business
I'm only lag, an maybe 'taint the
thing for me to speak. But IL You
want to kill any one, do kill me. May
be it's all the same to You--nnd, You
see, nobody would miss me.
don't know how to say it all right, but
I reckon You'll know what l mean
Strike me dead now, or Mt any time
You please, an let him get better.
Amen.
"Four corners to my bed.
Four angels around my head,
Matthew Mark, Luke, and John
Bless the bed that lie on
1t was the only thing of the sort he
remembered out of his far-off childhood
perhaps the only prayer he had ever
learnt. 1t may be that he had thought
it of service as kind of devotional in
cantation. He took his hands from his
face and held them clasped straight
before him, looking with vague, en-
pectant eyes up to the stars and wait
ing for the stroke to fall. He really
had some expectation that it would.
There was sudden hoarse scream
and far-of tapping of wings in the
stiffness above his head. 1t was an
eagle-hawk, disturbed from his nest in
the highest of the stringy-barks.
Maybe He's gone to fetch the thun-
derbolt," he thought, as fragment of
wild, dim nature-myth darted though
his mind.
"Woldja, woldja!" And he mur-
INJURED some words in the native Ian
guage-most likely charm.
But all was still-the fire leapt and
flickered, and the eagle-hawk did not
come back. He took up his knife from
the ground, and drew the sharp point
quickly down his breast; then made
another cut across it, and held up the
cup to catch the starting drops.
"You thought didn't mean it; but 1
do! See, this is the first-and the rest's $
to come after!'
He slowly lifted the pannikin, and
poured its contents into the fire. As it
Kissed and cracked in the flame, he
went on speaking:
I'm going down in the morning to
see him once more. If You do your
part, and let him get better, I'll come
here tomorrow night and end it. 1
swear solemnly 1 will You hear me9
Will that do?''
He knelt with uplifted, blood stained
hands, looking up to the peaceful sky.
As he looked, Il falling star drew a line
of light across the space of sky be-
tween the tops of the stringy-barks
and vanquished.
'.It's done! it's done!" he cried, and
flung himself forward on his face. He
lay there for some time without NOV
ing; while the fire fickered down and
died-leaping up now and then and
casting weird, vague lights and
shadows over the grave-mound and the
PROSTATE figure.
The slow hours of the afternoon drag
ged out their cruel length; Macdonald,
the overseer. sat by Murdoch's side.
Murdoch lay still, with closed eyes
not asleep-Macdonal knew that by
the occasional twitching of the white
lips in spasm of pain and the tighten
ing grasp of the hand he held in his.
He had done all he could to relieve the
long last agony; it was not much
there was no surgical aid within reach
and he knew enough to feel sure that
even had there been no skill or care
could save him. They would never
quarrel again, these two; they had done
SO regularly about once week, and
no one would have suspected
from Macdonald's dry reserved
ways and caustic severity of
speech that he loved this ''feckless, :"
reckless Murdoch like his own brother
He was beginning to hope that sleep
denied all night long-might come at
last--when Murdoch turned his head
wearily, and opened his eyes.
I'm that tired. Mac! 1 shall be glad
when it's over"
1t was the first word of complaint he
had uttered. Macdonald had not broken
down before, but he felt near it now
He felt the sob rising in his throat, as
he murmured something incoherent
about the impossibility of getting doc
tor.
Don't worry about that, Mac. Why,
bless you, he'd only bother me, and not
be able to do any good. If am to ret